Thu Jul 7 2011 (Updated 08/01/11)
Activists Openly State Their Plans to Travel to West Bank & Help Palestinians

A "Welcome to Palestine" campaign scheduled for July 8th through July 16th has begun at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. It is intended to draw attention to the Israeli blockade on the West Bank. Normally, visitors to the West Bank must lie to Israeli authorities and state that they are merely tourists, feigning disinterest in the rights of Palestinians. As part of the "Welcome to Palestine" campaign, however, hundreds plan to arrive in Tel Aviv and openly declare their intentions to travel to the West Bank to support peaceful Palestinian efforts for human rights. Already, dozens of activists and journalists have been denied entry to Israel after having been blacklisted or have been deported once they truthfully state their intentions.